Demented
by Purplish
Summary: Auror Draco Malfoy confronts the murderer of 24 children Hermione Granger, his exfiancée. DMHG [ONESHOT]


Hermione Granger, smartest witch of the century, calmly stared into the weary, tense face of Draco Malfoy. Her appearance completely devoid of emotion; hazel eyes hard, full lips in a tight grim line and her unblemished skin extraordinarily pale.

"Why? Why did you? There's a reason. Tell me, _please,_ tell me!"

Draco Malfoy's deep coarse voice choked as he questioned her. As one of the top and more important Aurors in the Ministry, he had handled countless cases, all gruesome and sick in their own way. But meeting his ex-fiancée, meeting a murderer who killed children, _that_, he could not handle. _That_ he could not cope.

"Tell me Hermione. _Please_! Before they pour Veritaserum down your throat, before they put you on trial, before they sentence you to the Kiss, tell me!"

Hermione merely dismissed his pleas, a blink has her response.

"Look at me Hermione! I'm begging. I'm begging for an explanation. Malfoys don't beg, but I don't care, I'll grovel at your feet if you would just answer!"

Draco was hysterical. He wanted her to tell him, to let him defend her, to let him know what had happened, _why_ it had happened.

"Malfoys don't marry Mudbloods either. They neither interact with them nor touch them."

Draco stared at her. Fully confused, yet oddly exhilarated that she had finally said something.

"What do you mean?"

A spark of irritation passed through those otherwise vacant eyes.

"What do I mean? Don't tell me you don't know. You said so yourself."

"What? What was it I told you?"

A cold, bitter laugh rang through his ears, mocking him.

"_Mudbloods don't deserve to live. They're the lowest form of human beings. Lower than purebloods for having muggle blood, lower than muggles for having power not meant for them._"

The words haunted him, bringing him back ten years ago when he had told her the very same thing on the Hogwarts Express. The very same words in the very same tone with the very same sneer.

"Recalling Draco? Recalling everything you've said about Mudbloods?"

"Muggle-borns… They're called muggle-borns…"

Draco's reply sounded weak, even to him.

"Muggle-borns are they now, Draco? Are you sure? Absolutely positive?"

_'She's scorning me,'_ he realized,_ 'with my own words.'_

"What has all these got to do with the situation, Hermione? What do all these have to do with you, and your slaughters?"

"Everything."

Draco banged his fist against the wooden table. Water spilling from the untouched paper cups.

"Stop playing games!"

"I have never been playing. I've been serious ever since you walked in here."

"Not talking does not qualify for being serious!"

"Alright then, you want to know why, I'll tell you. Those children are better off dead. They're better off not facing the kinds of you. They're better off not having to suffer the disappointment, humiliation and derision of life. They died better off not knowing about magic, about wizards and witches. I helped them. I made their life better. I ended their pain before it could begin."

"You have no right to take their lives away Hermione! You have no right to decide for them!"

"I know exactly how they would have turned out. I know how their life would have been. Have I not suffered the same? Is it wrong to prevent all that from happening to others? From innocent children?"

"Don't you see Hermione? It's wrong! What you've done is wrong! By killing them, you did not protect them; you took away their innocence of the world. Their innocence torn away when _you_ stabbed them, when _you_ slashed them!"

"But Draco, I explained it to them. I told them why I had to kill them. I explained everything, I made sure they understood. I convinced them that their future was going to be miserable, like mine. They agreed Draco, they agreed. I didn't kill them against their wills, _I helped them kill themselves._"

Draco could not, tried not, to believe her.

"No Hermione, you killed them for your sake. You killed them because you didn't want to see anymore others like yourself. _You_ didn't want them to suffer. It's up to them how to lead their lives, you shouldn't have led them."

"No! _If I hadn't told them, nobody would have! _I did the right thing! I helped them! I helped them!"

Hermione struggled against the tightly pulled cords which restrained her to the chair. Draco felt pity arising within him. Pity for a woman who killed twenty-four muggle-born children. Who had stabbed then several times, who had slashed their wrists.

"Wouldn't you have helped them too Draco? Wouldn't you have wanted them to live a painless life?"

"I would have, but not your way Hermione. _Never _your way."

Hermione stopped struggling, focusing on the ground cement floor. Silence filled the room.

"I thought you loved me."

Her accusing sentence caused Draco to look into her eyes for the first time that entire afternoon. Searching for the honesty in that statement.

"I do. I still do. That's why… that's why I want you to plead insanity Hermione. Say that you were controlled. _Please,_ Hermione_!_ Just don't admit to those murders. I'll help you! I can get you out of this mess! You just have to _plead insanity!_"

"No! I'm not going to deny that I helped them. I won't! I did what was right! I know it was right!"

"You don't get it do you! They're going to sentence you to the Dementor's Kiss! You're going to be soulless! You'll be worse than dead! Don't you care? _Don't you care?_"

"I won't lie, Draco. I won't lie to cover up what I did right."

"But you'll die! You'll be worse off! We won't be able to get married! No children of ours are going to run in the Manor unless you follow what I say. _I love you_, and if you love me, _please_, just plead insanity!"

"It's not going to work. The children are better off. Better off than what they will be! So what if I die? At least I saved some of the unfortunate. I'm not sorry. All those deaths, all that explaining, I'll do it again in an instant."

"You're not in your mind now Hermione. I've read about this. It's a post-trauma effect. You'll get over this, but then it'll be too late. You'll regret everything you'd done _too bloody late!_"

"I know what I've done. I have not, and will not, regret my actions. I take full responsibility of them."

"You're not listening to what you're saying Hermione. If you would, if you did, you would know how impractical you're being!"

"I'm much aware of what I'm saying."

"You're not the practical Hermione I knew. You're not the practical Hermione Harry knew! Nor the one Ron knew! If you were, you would plead. You would not have murdered those children!"

"You wouldn't know anything about me! You wouldn't know how I felt! You don't know _anything_!"

"Imagine how _Harry _feels Hermione. Imagine how _Ron _feels, how _Ginny_ feels, how your _parents_ feel. Imagine how all your classmates feel."

"Get out. Get out! You don't know what you're talking about! Get lost!"

"I do know what I'm talking about! I'm talking about you killing helpless children. Do you think they deserve to die? To live till the age of 12 before being slashed violently? _Do you?_"

"But Draco, I didn't murder them! I told you, they asked me to kill them."

Hermione let out a giggle. A weird, twisted giggle that did not sound human.

"Hermione-"

Draco heard the shuffling of feet from outside the dank room. He panicked, realizing that they were an hour ahead of the arranged time.

"Hermione, please, plead insanity. You'll be saved that way."

"No."

Draco heard the hushed conversation between Cornelius Fudge and the guards outside.

"Hermione, _please_, insanity!"

"No."

He heard more shuffling, the rest of the members were out there too.

"Hermione, _plead_, you'll be saved, you'll be—imagine the children you'll be able to safe!"

She looked up at him curiously. He had piqued her interest.

"If you plead, you'll be sentenced to mental help, and assigned to an Auror. I'll be that Auror. Just plead, I'll help you, _just plead insanity_."

"No."

"I'll even help you. I'll cover you up. You can save more children! You like that don't you?"

She gazed at him at what seemed liked hours. Outside, he could hear the guards unlocking the door.

She nodded her head slowly, and he let out a sigh of relief. She was saved.

The guards entered, together with the Minister of Magic and the rest of the members.

"Sorry to intrude like this Draco, but we believe that 9 hours is more than enough for you to question her."

Draco disliked the man intensely. He was too cheerful for his liking.

"It's alright Minister, I've already gotten Hermione Granger to confess."

The whole board gazed at Hermione, who was perfectly still in her seat.

"Wonderful. Now if Madame Bones will just pass the Veritaserum."

Draco's heart stopped beating for a moment.

"Pardon me. Veritaserum?"

"Oh yes. Standard procedure after all."

"Minister, you said Veritaserum would not be necessary if I was able to get her to admit."

"I know Draco," Fudge said gravely, causing Draco to dislike him even more, "But the parents are unhappy, troubled, they want this case dealt with fast. We have to do with all standard procedures."

Draco cursed mentally.

"Draco my boy, would you please give Miss Granger the serum?"

Draco took the vial from Fudge albeit quite rudely, and walked towards Hermione.

He opened her mouth gently and tipped the content of the vial into her mouth, clearly showing everyone else in the room what he was doing. He returned to his position right at the back of the room, where everyone was in front of him.

"Right. We shall begin."

Draco pointed his wand at Hermione and whispered a single word, "_Imperio_."

_Fight the truth serum…_

Hermione felt extremely uncomfortable, she wanted to blurt out everything but a stronger force was telling her to remain quiet.

"How will Miss Granger like to plead?"

_Tell him Hermione… Tell him… Remember what we agreed on... I'll help you… Tell him…_

She looked up and stared at Fudge with the same blank eyes.

"Insanity."


End file.
